Direction indicator for vehicles



w.v R. Mac'KENzlE DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES July 7,1925. 1,545,193 i Filed sept. 27.11924 wnuess ES. 1"

MIM

Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

WILLIAM RICH MAC'KEN-ZIE, OF BELFAST, IRELAND.

DIRECTION INDICAT0R FOR VEHICLES.

Application -led September 27j, 1924.V Serial No. 740,335.

To @ZZ whom. it may concern: Y j

Beit known that I, IVILLIAM Bron MAG- KnNzIn, Vof 6 University Square, Belfast, Ireland, a subject of the King `of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and-.useful Improvements Relating to Direction Indicators for Vehicles, of which` the `fol-lowing is a specification.

This invention has for its vobject to provide a direction, or turning indicator for vehicles and i-s adapted to obviate the necessit-y of a lmotor car, or vehicle driver having to use his` hand or arm to indicate to the public and poi-ntsmen his intended lmovements. The object of the invention is also to provide a simple device for this purpose which will be 'compact and which can be readily seen fand understood.

According tov this invention the' direction orturning ind-ica'tor for lvehicles is characterized by means whereby the indicator can loe turnedl transversely to the direction o'f travelV of the vehicle to indicate turning movements and whereby, when required, the indicator can be swung forwardly andbackwardly, when lvertically disposed and also when turned from the ver-tical position. Te operating means for the indicator .ceniprises a casing, Lmeans for turning the indicator and means forsw-inging the indicator forward and backward, all concentrically arranged and forming a compact, easily operated, rand controllable device.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings where'on I have :shown anl example, as plied to an indicator for ay private motor car. 1 Y 1 i n Y Fig. 'l is a :longitudinal elevation of the indicating device.

2v is a plan view'corresponding to Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device.l

Fig. 4 is across sectionalviewvon the line Alf-4l- Fig. 1; to fan'enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings.

In the example shown the device 'comprises an outer casing `1 adapted to be secured in a suitableposition 'at the front of the vehicle and preferably so positioned that when the indicator, or indicator arm, or hand 2 is operated to the right as hereinafter described the indicator will show clearly from behind so that a following vehicle can observe same. Preferably the outer casing 1 is passed through a hole in the front screen 3 or dash of the motor car or vehicle, close to Where the driver sits, with its inner end close to the drivers hand.. Inside .the casing l, isa tube 4 whichcan be turned and (or) Vreciprocated therein. f A spiral spring V5, inserted between thei collar 6l formed on the inner tube and the flange of the outer casing, exerts a forward push on ythe inner tube, such push being checked by a stud or projection if, on the outside of the innertube il, which. enters a notch la in the outer casing l, in which position of the studor projection 4L? the inner tube 4 is in its `forward position with the hand or indicator 2 held inupright position. An arm 2 of suitable length, with the hand 2 at its end, forms the indicator and isl hinged to theoutside end 1lb of the inner tube fl, beingV normally held inV upright position by a rod 10 pivotally connected to the bent arm2b of the indicator, the said rod passing through the inner tube '41: and being. acted on by a spring 11 therein. The controlV rod 10 projects beyond the end of the ,inner tube 4 at its innerv end and Vis provided with a knob or handle l0n to enable the driver to. pull the. rod lQt'ovy'ai-ds him when required. Vhen lthe ydriver pulls the knob l0 olf the control rod l0 vtowards him, he causes the indicator hand y2 to swing forward in the direction the car islgoing thus showing that he intends to moveVK straight ahead. V When .the control rod*y knob lOawis released, the spring means will cause the iii-1 dicator 2 to .resume the Anormal .upright position. -Vhen `the driver wishes'totnrnto .the right or left he will grasp thehand grip lo on the Vendl ofthe inner tubel pulling it slightlytowards him yand releasing thestud, or projection la from the notch l*L in fthe outer casing lf, whereupon he will- .turn theindicator 2,to the right or to vthe left, accordinguto ,the indication which lhe desires to .'give, the `projection of the inner :tube being preferably tur-ned against a `suitable stopper 1l or 1', as the case/may be, at .each horizontal posit-ion, and the spring 5 which exerts` a ,forward pull on the .in-ner tube will act to retain the indicator 2in the'position to which it has been moved. When the in-` dicator 2 is moved, for example to the right to indicate a right turn, it may, in this position, be used to indicate to a following vehicle that the driver desires the followingv ,11.10-

vehicle to move ahead, this being done by reciprocating the control rod 1Q which passes through the inner tube and controls the swinging of the indicatorhand 2 forwardly from its right angled position relatively to the axis of the casing l and tube 4. lVhen the turning movement of the car is completed the driver returns theindicator 2 to normal position by simply turning the inner tube 4 until the projection '4a thereon again enters the notch l in the outer casing.

The control rod l() can be adapted to give all the indicator signals by simply making the spring l1, inserted between the Vcontrol rod and the inner tube 4, of greater compression resisting strength than the spiral spring 5 between the collar 6 of the inner tube and `the flange 7 of the outer casing, whereby when the rod 10 is pulled outwards the inner tube 4 is constrained to move therewith and the projection 4aN is released from the notch l, thus allowing they indicator to be turned transverselyto the direction of travel of the vehicle and to be swung forward and backward solely by means ofthe control rod 10. p'

The device hereinbefore described may also be modified to suit different kinds ofv vehicles and the location of the device relatively to the driver would also be selected with the object of the driver using it with the least effort and without altering his position.

The .device as described is a mechanical one, but it could, if desired, be readily modified for electrical operation. The pull on the control rod l0, or equivalent, might be effected by the' energizing of a magnet. The pull on the inner tube 4 mightbe similarly effected and the turning of the inner tube 4 to right or left might also be effected by means of magnets suitably energized and all under control from switches convenient to the drivers hand.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentisz- K l. The combination with a vehicular direction indicator, having an indicating arm, of operating mechanismtherefor, compris# ing a casing, rotatable means coaxial with the said casing, reciprocating means coaxial with the first'mentioned means, and means p connecting the rotatable and reciprocating nieansfto the indicating arm in such a manner that the said arm canv be swung in two planes.

2. The combination with a vehicular direction indicator, having an indicating arm,

of operating mechanism therefor, comprising a casing, a rotatable tube coaxial with the said casing, a collar on the tube, a spring disposed between the said collar and the casing, reciprocating means coaxial with the said tube, and means connecting the said reciprocating means and tube to the indicating arm in such a manner-that the said arm can be swung in two planes.

3. The combination with a vehicular direction indicator, having an indicating arm, of operating mechanism` therefor, compris-v ing a casing, rotatable means coaxial with the said casing, a reciprocating rod coaxial with the said rotatable means, a collar on the rod, `a spring disposed between the said coll lar and rotatable means, and means connect-KVV ing the said rotatable means and rod to the indicator arm 1n such a mannerV that the said arm can be swungin two planes.

4. The combination with a vehiculardi#V rection indicator, having an indicating arm,

of operating mechanism therefor, compris-V ing a casing, a rotatable tube coaxial with the said casing, a collar on the tube, a spring disposed between the said collar and the casing, a reciprocating rod Ycoaxial with the said tube, a collar on the rod, a spring disposed between the said collar and the tube, and means connecting the said tube and rod to the indicator arm in such a manner that the said arm can be swung transversely, and in therdirection of travel, of the vehicle.

5.- The combination with a vehicular indicator, having an indicator arm, of operating mechanism therefor, comprising a casing, a'rotatable tube coaxial with the said casing, a collar on the tube, a spring disposed between the said collar and the casing, a pivotal connection between the said' tube and the indicating` arm, a reciprocating rod coaxial with the said tube, a collar on 'the rod a spring disposed between the last mentioned colla-r and the tube, and a pivotal connection between the said rod and the indicating arm, the spring between the collar of the rod and the tube being of greater compression resisting strength than the Cir spring between the collar of the Vtube and vthe casing so that the indicating arm .can be swung in two planes by means of the said rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VVILLIM RCH MACKENZIE.- Vitnesses: i ANDREW HAMILTON, HARVEY WALTER ALLsoP. 

